Page 54 of Driftwood Daffodil

“No, I wasn’t,” he sighed then quickly added, “But I could’ve.”

No he couldn’t. Atlee’s dad would be less than impressed if he got a call from the school. There was a reason Kendall was a role model student. As far as the public was concerned anyway. She was still a bitch, she just got other people to do her dirty work.

Then there was his baby sister. All she had to do to get shipped off to boarding school was smile the wrong way at a guy. Mind you Alex had always been a bit of a problem. So that one I kind of understood.

“Now I have detention for a month. Fucking bitch. I’ll pay Sutton back for that.” Atlee turned his stare my way. “How about you?”

“What about me?” My brow arched as some guy stepped out of the trailer next to Nova’s.

What the hell?

If crazy had a look then I was staring at it right now. This guy was some kind of mix between mad scientist and trailer trash.His dark hair stood on end while the stained tank-top and tighty whities were clearly visible underneath his open raggedy green bathrobe. Then there was the broom in his hand that he was branching like a weapon.

“How much time did you get?”

“For what?” I asked as the guy wildly swung his broom through the air and screamed something incoherent.

What the actual fuck?

“Of course you didn’t get in trouble.” Atlee flopped his head back and muttered, “I told you Sister Anne didn’t like me.”

That was never an argument. I don’t think any of the staff at St Agatha’s liked him. Atlee had a talent for pissing people off. That didn’t stop him from complaining about it. According to him, they had it out for him and loved us. Never mind the fact that we didn’t do stupid shit publicly, like slapping some bitch in the middle of class.

“It’s not because of that.”

“Yes it is,” Atlee snorted. “Otherwise I’d have a detention buddy.”

There was only one reason I didn’t get in shit, “Nova covered for me.”

“I’m sorry,” he sat up and turned my way. “Did you just say Nova covered for you?”

“Yup.” I sighed.

“Nova Ford, the girl who you’ve strangled twice in two days, covered for you?”

Did I stutter? “That’s what I said.”

He shook his head and held up a finger. “So you’re telling me that Novalee Ford, the sister of the asshole who offed your brother… covered for you?”

I didn’t need the reminder of who she was, but, “yes.”

“Huh?” His eyes rolled over to Nova’s beat up truck. “That doesn’t make sense.”

Tell me about it.

“Why would she do that?”

That was a good question. “I don’t know.”

My eyes narrowed on the screen door. But I intended to find out.

Nova had the perfect opportunity to get rid of me. One word about what was really happening in the chapel, and I’d have been catapulted straight past suspension and into expulsion. Not only that but Sister Anne would’ve called the cops.

My dad would’ve loved that. I could already hear the‘you know better’lecture, which I wouldn’t have an argument with. Because I did know better. Don’t do shit in a place with witnesses. It made clean up a hassle. Yet there I was, in the school chapel choking the shit out of Novalee Ford.

I would’ve killed her, if we weren’t interrupted. I wanted to kill her. It was the only thing I could think about while my hands were around her neck. She knew it, too.

There was this look people got when they were about to die. A spark of acceptance that mingled with the horror and desperation on their face. When Nova looked up at me, face red and struggling for breath, I saw that spark.

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